The fifth day of the first year opened to welcome the god of wealth: after the development of the market economy, the pursuit of wealth is proud, worship the public, business does not exceed "righteousness"

The "God of Wealth" congratulates everyone on the New Year. (Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jinjia/photo)

In the pre-Qin period, there were famous rich merchants such as Wang Hai, Zigong, Tao Zhugong, Lü Buwei and the like, but they did not become the god of wealth at that time, because the general industrial and commercial economic worship culture had not yet been formed at that time. In the ancient world, Confucianism's attitude towards industry and commerce was very friendly, Confucius praised his disciple Zigong as the instrument of Hu Lian, Mencius advocated that the city was not levied, and defended the division of labor in the market, and Sima Qian, who was integrated with Confucianism, positively created various images of sufeng in the "History of Cargo Colonization", which laid the foundation for the positive image of the god of wealth later.

Cheng Gongsui of the Wei and Jin Dynasties first put forward the idea of "money god", which described the huge function of money, which can achieve the effect of "guest spokes, the door is often like a city", and the subsequent Western Jin Dynasty Lu Zheng also wrote "Money God Theory", put forward the famous "Kong Fang Brother" statement, with the tone of money to satirize the "greedy people", the image of money and wealth is not too positive. At the time of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, although there were early "money gods", the "money gods" of this period were not yet the fully personified "god of wealth" image in later generations, and they were not the secular objects of secular belief for ordinary people in general society to seek wealth.

The maturity of the Chinese belief in the god of wealth in the true sense is the Song Dynasty in which civil society and the commercial market economy were fully developed. According to the "Tokyo Dream Record", during the New Year period of the Northern Song Dynasty, in addition to selling a large number of early New Year paintings such as Zhong Kui and Tao Fu, the market also sold portraits of "Caimen". The so-called caimen, that is, the image of two civilian officials in charge of wealth, can be posted on the door during the New Year to help the head of the household to recruit wealth and treasure, according to the current division belongs to the "god of literature and wealth" sequence. In the sixth volume of the Southern Song Dynasty's "Mengliang Record", it is also recorded that in addition to selling door gods, a large number of grocery stores at that time sold a kind of print called "Cai Ma", which may be a kind of riding warrior image that attracts wealth and treasure. In other words, in the Song Dynasty, along with the development of the market economy, there has been a personified image of the god of wealth in civil society, and the god of wealth is either a civilian official or a military attaché on horseback, and is pasted on the door panel by the citizens of the Song Dynasty in the form of a New Year painting, as a protector of wealth, which should belong to the sequence of "god of martial wealth".

In the Ming Dynasty, the belief of Zhao Gongming, the god of martial wealth, became popular, and according to the "Three Sects of Origins and Streams search for gods", Zhao Gongming was not only responsible for expelling plagues and lawsuits, but also responsible for "buying and selling for wealth, and it is advisable to make peace with profits". In addition, in the "Fengshen Yanyi", which has been widely circulated since the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Gongming was killed by Jiang Taigong, but in the later list of gods, he was named "Golden Wheel Ruyi Zhengyi Dragon tiger Xuantan True King", responsible for all gold and silver treasures in the world, and Taoism summarized it as "the source of wealth in the world, the immeasurable increase of blessings and benefits", that is, the profits in all market activities in the world. Obviously, Zhao Gongming eventually appeared in the Ichijing novel as a plump image of the god of wealth, reflecting the fruits of the development of industry, commerce and market in society from the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, and people were proud of pursuing wealth and protecting the legal wealth accumulation and market behavior with corresponding gods.

Along with the development of the industrial and commercial economy, in addition to Zhao Gongming, various gods in charge of wealth have appeared in Chinese civil society since the Ming Dynasty, including the feudal lord Bigan in the late Shang Dynasty, the rich merchant Fan Li in the late Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms, Wang Yuanbao in the Tang Dynasty, Chai Rong, the Emperor of Zhou Shizong after five generations, and Cai Jing in the Song Dynasty (many people can't think of it, right?). As well as the Five Road God, Huaguang Emperor, Jin YuanGuan, Zhao Cai Boy, Stove Prince, Liu Hai Toad, etc., these various beliefs in the god of wealth produced in the spontaneous order of the people, personality and role sometimes overlap and confuse, but functionally reflect the various concerns about the pursuit of wealth legitimacy and legitimacy in industrial and commercial civil society since the Ming Dynasty.

If the legend says that Bigan has seven tricks of the heart, then as the god of wealth, he shoulders the responsibility of defending the values of impartiality, fairness, fairness in trading, and childlike market behavior. In addition, the legend of Bigan's dissection of the heart may also imply that the deity has no selfish intentions, that is, as the protector of market behavior, he must be objective and neutral and conform to the principle of market justice. In the Tang Dynasty, Wang Yuanbao, a wealthy merchant who sold glass, was described by Zhu Xi as a golden and luxurious image in zhuzi yu class, and the worship of industrial and commercial civil society reflected that the pursuit of wealth was no longer an act opposed to "righteousness".

The worship of Guan Yu, the god of wealth, which is spread throughout the north and south of the river, emphasizes the importance of "righteousness" in market behavior. This "righteousness", on the one hand, serves the small community that unites private associations, and in the role of the god of wealth, it is embodied in the "great righteousness" between stranger societies, that is, the ethical values behind the impartial protection of market behavior.

Adam Smith said in His Theory of Moral Sentiments, "Those who gain wealth through vulgar intrigues, power tricks, and even heinous crimes will usually receive the defamation punishment they deserve." Even if you happen to get rich, the honor of this wealth is defiled by the vileness and inferiority of the climbing process. He will be surrounded by a dark, dirty, stinking inner world, and true glory will think that he has lived too long, and he will not be able to enjoy the slightest happiness in this life from the love of others." Adam Mies noted that although the free market is an interaction between stranger societies, it is impossible to exist separately from the morality and public order and good customs of society, and this principle is reflected in the traditional Chinese commercial culture, and the emphasis on the "righteousness" of Guan Yu, the god of wealth, is actually a Chinese folk interpretation and amplification of this spirit. Guan Yu's belief as the god of wealth has a far-reaching influence in southern China, and the behavior of merchants "worshipping Guan Gong" is not only to seek wealth for their own families, but also to adhere to the commercial bottom line of "righteousness" in market behavior.

During the New Year, civil society pays attention to the worship of the god of wealth, especially since the Ming Dynasty, the custom of welcoming the god of wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month has been formed. From the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China until the present, the fifth day of the first month of the first month is rumored to be the birthday of the god of wealth, and most of the commercial openings are carried out on this day, in addition to gongs, drums and firecrackers, but also with fine wine and delicacies for sacrifice. Merchants in some areas have set up "Fortuna Associations" to burn incense and worship the God of Wealth. These folk cultural traditions, which have been preserved more completely in South China, are also manifested in concepts as more positive and adaptable attitudes and behaviors towards modern industry and commerce. China's developed belief in the god of wealth reflects the close and integrated relationship between traditional Chinese culture and the modern commercial market.

(This article is only the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of this newspaper)

Li Jingheng